The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

There's a very good reason why Sunday is our day of rest here.  It's not because we've worked so hard all week and just want to unwind from it all.  That's too boring.  It's because here comes Monday, and you better rest in order to get geared up for all the new challenges!

The Good

Cheryl asked me last week what Kyle's favorite foods were.  Of course the first words out of my mouth were Mac and Cheese.  I think Kyle could eat this every day of his life. And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.                        When I was a little girl,   my favorite meal  was spaghetti. I remember I would walk up the hill every day from my grammer school, Holy Trinity, to eat lunch at home. I would walk into the kitchen and there would be Mom at the stove, cooking my spaghetti.  When it was ready, I would head into the living room, plop myself in front of the TV and watch my favorite show, Bewitched.  To this day, I still find pleasure in plopping myself down in front of the TV with a huge bowl of spaghetti....and Kyle with his Mac and Cheese. We love our comfort food.

Kyle is being introduced to soft foods now, but with a very guarded approach.  What we take for granted, Kyle must concentrate on  There is a passageway for food, and a passageway for air. We must be cautious as we watch his throat muscles come back from non use and watch that his airway is protected from food "going down the wrong pipe" and causing pulmonary aspiration.

The Bad                                                                                                                                

                                        .                     Monday afternoon, Kyle's doctors performed a nerve conduction study that lasted about two hours.  This diagnostic test measures nerve and muscle function.

Kyle's injuries to his arms was severe.  When I first heard of all his broken bones and fractures, my thoughts were "that's ok, bones mend".  It never occurred to me that there could be such nerve damage as to limit the use of his hands and/or arms. I am learning a lot about the brachial plexus, the ulnar, median and radial nerves.  A lot more than I wish I had to know.  I hang on to the hope that comes from being in this extraordinary facility.  I think back to the dim prognosis of his attending surgeon at Inova, and how he has already surpassed that bleak outlook.  Kyle's a fighter.  He will prove them all wrong!

The Ugly    

We all know Kyle, he will be showing off these battle scars. The ladies will most likely be drawn to them. And since he won't remember the accident, I can imagine him telling some grand tale, keeping it a little mysterious, you know, thinking the scars are his  "chick magnets".  And he will probably be right.

But for me, I hope they are a reminder to all those out there who dare to take risks.  I hope his friends and classmates and even strangers are still reading along.   We caution about risky behavior, but sometimes we need to be risk takers.  We just need to be aware of the extreme risks we take compared to the risks that bring rewards.